Continue is an open-source AI coding assistant that runs as an extension inside VS Code or JetBrains IDEs, built around the idea that developers should be able to fully customize which model powers their assistant rather than being locked to one vendor's default. You configure it to use models from Anthropic, OpenAI, local Ollama models, or others, and can build custom slash commands and context providers tailored to your own workflow.

It's aimed at developers and teams who want IDE-integrated AI assistance — inline autocomplete, chat, and edit commands — without the vendor lock-in of a closed-source tool tied to a single model and pricing structure. Because it's open source, teams can also self-host and audit exactly what's happening with their code.

Continue itself is free and open source. As with other bring-your-own-key tools, your cost is whatever you spend on API usage with your chosen model provider.